"Students, it has been more than half a year since you became Gu Masters. During this period, you have studied diligently and practiced hard, and I believe you have all gained a lot." The School Elder stood before the many Gu Master students, smiling, and said in a loud voice.
He paused slightly, then continued, "In three days, we will have our mid-year assessment. This is a test of your learning achievements and an opportunity for you to display your strength. Everyone must participate; no one is allowed to be absent."
Hearing this, the students' expressions varied; some were excited, while others seemed a bit dejected.
The School Elder continued, "The assessment project this time is hunting wild deer. You need to successfully capture a wild deer within the specified time and bring back a pair of its antlers. Each pair of antlers can be exchanged for ten primeval stones!"
He paused, then added, "Of course, you can also choose to be assessed individually or in teams."
As the School Elder's words fell, the scene immediately erupted in discussion. Some students were already rubbing their fists, eager to try; while others looked troubled, clearly feeling immense pressure from this assessment.
Especially those students with D-grade Aptitude, their hearts were even more uneasy. This was because most of the Gu they chose were not Gu suitable for combat, but rather some auxiliary Gu, with relatively weak combat capabilities. For a task like hunting, they could basically not help much and could only hope to join other stronger teams.
Three days passed in a flash, and the mid-year assessment officially began.
On this day, the sun was bright, and a gentle breeze blew. All the students gathered energetically on Qing Mao Mountain. This area had already been explored in advance by the Gu Masters of the Gu Yue Clan, ensuring that no overly dangerous beasts were present. Not only that, but there were also many vigilant Gu Masters on the periphery, standing by to prevent any unforeseen incidents to the younger generation of these Family during the assessment.
Gu Yue Qingshu, Gu Yue Moyan, and Gu Yue Chishan, the three outstanding talents of the Family, each led a team and rushed into the mountain forest like arrows shot from a bow to hunt the wild deer.
However, these new Gu Masters had no combat experience. Even just chasing the wild deer caused frequent problems for these newcomers, not to mention when it came to attacking.
When they usually trained, they used stationary straw Puppets. Now, they were asked to attack agile wild deer, and even the top-ranking Gu Yue Qingshu, Gu Yue Moyan, and Gu Yue Chishan found it difficult to hit.
The Clan Chief and Elders, who had been closely observing this test, shook their heads repeatedly, somewhat disappointed.
However, unlike the excitement and tension of others, Liu Chen seemed somewhat nonchalant about this test. His mind had already drifted to the year-end assessment at the end of this year.
By then, not only would cultivation be tested, but Aptitude might also be evaluated. With his current cultivation and Aptitude, it would likely easily arouse the Family's suspicion. Whether it was the rapid advancement of his cultivation or the significant improvement of his Aptitude, it would inevitably attract high attention from the Family.
This was definitely not good news for Liu Chen. Therefore, he had already begun to refine a Gu that could conceal his cultivation. For this goal, he did not hesitate to slow down his cultivation speed, wholeheartedly dedicating himself to the refinement of the Gu.
The area designated for the assessment by the Gu Yue Clan was extremely vast, seemingly endless at a glance. Liu Chen stood on this vast land, his gaze sharp, firmly locking onto a wild deer not far away.
This wild deer was clearly not an ordinary beast. Liu Chen knew that in this Gu World, danger was everywhere, and animals had to evolve with all their might to survive.
And this wild deer on Qing Mao Mountain was even more outstanding among them. It was called a Qingfeng Deer, not only because its fur displayed a unique green color, but also because its speed was as fast as a gust of wind, coming and going without a trace. Its antlers were incredibly sharp, and once it charged, its power could even pierce through steel.
Unlike others who chose to cooperate in hunting the wild deer, Liu Chen faced this powerful Qingfeng Deer alone, appearing somewhat strenuous. He could not easily expose too much of his strength, otherwise, it might attract unnecessary trouble.
At this moment, the only Gu he could use was the Moonlight Gu.
However, the attack range of the Moonlight Gu was only a mere ten meters. This meant that Liu Chen had to wait for the wild deer to actively approach within ten meters of him before he could launch an effective attack.
Time passed minute by minute, and Liu Chen always maintained a high degree of vigilance. His breathing was steady and long, as if he had merged with this mountain forest.
Finally, the wild deer slowly approached him. The moment it entered the ten-meter range, Liu Chen struck without hesitation.
The moon blade he had prepared for a long time flew out like lightning, carrying a sharp Aura, directly slashing towards the wild deer's neck. With a crisp "crack," the wild deer's head was severed, and blood splattered like a fountain.
Liu Chen carefully walked to the side of the wild deer. Its body lay quietly in the grass, as if it had lost its life. Liu Chen took a deep breath, composed himself, and then reached out to gently touch the wild deer's antlers.
The antlers were hard and smooth. Liu Chen used a sharp small knife to carefully cut the antlers. Each cut required precise force and angle to avoid damaging the integrity of the antlers. After some effort, the antlers were finally successfully cut off.
Next, Liu Chen began to collect deer blood, deer hide, and venison. He opened a special container and slowly poured the deer blood into it. The deer blood was dark red, emitting a faint fishy smell. Then, he carefully peeled off the deer hide with a knife, trying to keep the deer hide intact. The deer hide was soft and elastic. Liu Chen carefully folded it and put it into a bag.
Finally, Liu Chen cut the venison into appropriate chunks and also put them into another bag. Although these deer hide and venison were not gu materials, they also had a certain value in the market and could be exchanged for some primeval stones.
After finishing the processing of the wild deer, Liu Chen looked at his harvest with satisfaction. Compared to hunting thick-skinned wild boars, the wild deer's attack power was slightly inferior, but its speed was several times faster. This made capturing wild deer more difficult, but at the same time increased the value of the harvest.
With these spoils, Liu Chen embarked on his way home. He came to the Family's designated recycling point and handed over his harvest to the staff. The staff evaluated Liu Chen's harvest and converted it into primeval stones according to the stipulated price.
He did not continue to stay in the hunting area because it was getting dark, and it was dangerous to be alone in the wild.
Liu Chen had a limited number of Gu, and he did not have enough means to protect himself against potential dangers. Moreover, there was no need to take too many risks in this assessment.